Zooey Deschanel was mortified after accidentally entering a beauty pageant when she was a teenager.

The New Girl star thought she had signed up for a talent showcase but was "horrified" after misunderstanding the nature of the competition.

She tells Britain's Company magazine, "At 14 I accidentally entered a beauty pageant. It was basically all the trappings of a beauty pageant, without the swimsuit round! You had to do a big musical opening number and answer the sort of questions they ask in beauty pageants, about charity. I was horrified when I realised what it was. I thought I was entering a talent contest - a pageant was not cool!"

Despite not wanting to win the crown, Deschanel refused to bow out of the running, adding, "I'm not a quitter, so I stuck it out, and my mum and sister laughed at me the entire time. I didn't win. A girl who played the viola did."